Lanterns celebrating the new emperor's accession to the throne were displayed at the shrine gate of the Samukawa Shrine

Lanterns hung on the gate called Shinmon — Lanterns hung on the gate

Getting off the Sagami Line at Miyayama Station, I headed for Samukawa Jinja Shrine. This is a country town. Despite its remoteness, Samukawa Jinja is the first shrine (ichinomiya) in Sagami Province. Ichinomiya means the shrine with the highest rank in the region. In other words, Samukawa Shrine is the most prestigious shrine in Sagami Province. This area, which is empty now, was once a political center.

After walking along the long approach for a while, a magnificent wooden gate finally appears. It is the Shinmon Gate. The gate was decorated with lanterns. It was a lantern celebrating the enthronement of the new emperor. The new era name is written on the side of the lantern, but as someone who has been familiar with the Heisei era for a long time, it is still unfamiliar to me. The deities of the Samukawa Shrine are said to be Samukawa Hiko-no-mikoto and Samukawa Hime-no-mikoto, but since neither of the two is mentioned in the Chronicles of Japan, their connection to the emperor is not clear. Anyway, the accession of the new emperor must be a great celebration for these two deities.

I stopped in front of the gate and watched. After a while, a couple with umbrellas appeared and were about to go through the gate. Looking beyond the gate, I saw the shrine pavilion in the distance.

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